Could Grains Be Stealing Your Minerals?

Since I started my practice, I have noticed that nearly everyone is showing signs of Mineral Deficiency. At first, I blamed it on the lack of mineral rich foods in our diets but it is actually more complicated than that.

Gluten Free is the big buzz in food now, but are we looking at it totally crooked?
Our Ancestors and even people from other cultures are still preparing their grains before they eat them. In our fast paced culture, we rely on prepared and processed foods for the bulk of our diet.

As I was growing up, whenever I ate grains, my stomach got upset, so basically as I grew, I stopped eating most things. One thing I noticed that never bothered me was buckwheat. So that has been a breakfast staple for me for years off and on. Also any type of bread without a big slathering of good butter, was completely off my list.

Recently, I came across a great article that explains my grain issues and though I have known about these types of things, when I read it, the lightbulb went off.

About 2 years ago, I started fermenting almost everything because I found my teeth were getting vertical cracks in them and I even chipped one tooth (I figured if my teeth were having issues, what is happening to my bones). I found a great book on healthy teeth and rediscovered fermenting. What I discovered was that my body also started changing. I was within a normal weight but noticed that after 2 weeks of fermented foods, fermented butter oil, raw butter etc. my muscles were growing. I looked in the mirror and I actually look sculpted. I was not working out at the time, and the only change was my diet, so I attributed it to the fermenting. Over time, I gradually stopped fermenting and some of the other things because they are not easily available where I live part of the year and what I noticed was my beautifully sculpted arms disappeared.

Recently I started working out again, and to my surprise, I was not building any muscle. This was totally foreign to me. All my life, if I did only a little exercise, muscles would appear almost immediately. After a month of workout, 3 days a week or more, nothing! Granted, I did not want to be muscle-bound but did want to build some strength.

This took me on a search to dig deeper and I found my old nutritional guru had the answer, Dr Weston Price and an article written by Ramiel Nagel. Nagel interprets Dr. Weston Price and his study of other cultures pertaining to health. Dr Price was in Dentistry and devoted his life to discovering why other cultures had beautifully healthy teeth and basically our culture did not. Turns out a big part involves how we process grains before cooking.

In essence, grains need to be properly processed before you eat them or they rob your body of the minerals it needs for good health. Good mineral content in the body does so much good. Build bones, prevent arthritis, prevent clogged arteries, prevent cramping / help muscles contract and relax, they work with the endocrine system and hormones, keep your hair from turning grey, reduce stress, reduce pain, help your brain think and neurological processing and the list goes on. If you had to pinpoint what your health issue is, could it relate to minerals...my answer is most definitely minerals are involved (or more accurately, lack of minerals)

Now, most of the nature freaks out there like me will get a little overwhelmed by the information on processing grains, so I am going to break it down to a usable system which is better than nothing and highly effective but not perfect. For it to be perfect, it would be hard to actually implement:

Eat none or less than 10 percent of the total combination of grains, beans, and nuts unless you process them correctly. You can eat more if you do some minimal processing (like soaking grains, soaking nuts, soaking/sprouting and cooking beans). Eat good raw butter from grass fed cows with your grains or breads and properly prepared sour dough bread seems to be the best choice, coconut oil is good. Eat grass fed beef (not grain fed!) and keep in mind that animal fat is not all bad.
This are just my guidelines, there is no real science behind it.

Personally, I eat very little bread or things made with flour, I limit my nuts and seeds, but soak them and store them in the freezer until needed. The grain I eat the most is buckwheat and the bread of preference if I eat bread is rye or sourdough. I ferment any flour I use at least overnight because I occasionally like to cook pancakes. I cook soups with bones and eat raw butter on anything I can. I love raw milk when I can get it but in really small amounts, like a half cup 3 times a week at most (lately I have not been taking milk however) I eat very little fruit daily, but keep berries in the freezer as snacks and occasionally each seasonal fruit but rarely overdue fruit (I believe fruit is too sweet for the American diet and causes more harm than good if not controlled). I have not been fermenting lately because I have nearly eliminated grains, but I am going to start again to see if I have the same response as before with increased muscle mass.

I also want to add that I DO tend to eat anything that is served me when I go to a friends house for dinner or out to eat, unless I am in the middle of a cleanse. I think because on a day to day basis, I don't eat poorly, I am able to do this without a setback. Keep in mind that what we do everyday or often weekly, is the norm for us and this is what might need to be evaluated. We still need to live life and enjoy the fruits of life, but some things only on special occasions.

I invite you to discover for yourself what Nagel has to say. I believe you will find it fascinating, however you  may find it discouraging, but if you follow my suggestions above and just simplify it overall, you will find great improvement and not go crazy in the process. Here is the article link: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/living-with-phytic-acid

If you still have issues with not losing weight or low minerals symptoms, you should see a therapist who specializes like a naturopathic doctor if you can find one in your area. (I generally find that nutritionist are not trained to understand these things). I am an acupuncture physician with focus on nutrition (which is not the norm) but there may be others out there who are as passionate as I am about all aspects of the healing arts.

Enjoy!

Fluffy Fat or Wheat Belly?

I caught Dr Davis' Wheat Belly Diet on the Dr Oz show and applaud him for this simple solution for many struggling, not wanting to give up their addiction to various foods and I agree with the theory in general.

Here are my concerns and comments:

I noticed good amounts of Almond flour are included in many of the recipes, which concerns me since I have always read that 5-6 nuts a day is plenty (especially for dense nuts) and a big problem with vegetarians when they first start eliminating meat and attempting to get proteins. They think it is healthy to eat plenty of nuts, but this has been found to be true or helpful. Many people have major issues with almonds and it seem so to be in everything "healthy".  Also cheese seems to be included in many recipes which is phlegm causing from my knowledge, clogging up the body in nearly every area and probably overtaxing the gallbladder a bit. Also, since Flax is said to become toxic when heated or ground, it might not be the best choice for several cooked recipes.  From what I know, Coconut flour might be good in small amounts.

I also noticed that Dr Davis was not really what I would call a lean guy but not too overweight either however, so I would guess, he has to test all the recipes himself :)

Wheat is a big problem, that is true, so if this type of diet can help to transition people into a healthier diet without the cheese, mega almonds or nuts, toxic broken or heated seeds, I am all for it. Perhaps these recipes could be kept to a minimum with the basic diet of 25% various proteins to 75% veggies, colorful berries once a week along with one of these recipes a week as an ultimate goal along with some basic exercise, for a better outcome in health. 

I have nearly eliminated all wheat except for any unavoidable, occasional meals at a friends houses here and there. 

I make a fantastic chocolate "bean" cake from a modified recipe I found as a treat, which is not an everyday thing however. I make the cake, freeze everything except 2 pieces and take them out as I desire so I do not feel like I need to eat it everyday or it will spoil. I do not miss bread or wheat products at all. 

I substitute beans to give me a bread like consistency if I need, but generally, I do not overdue with beans either.

I also found that my increasing craving for sweets in the evening were virtually eliminated by including complete proteins and good fats like quinoa and tahini as an evening snack.

Bulking up on veggies, especially green leafy ones, with small amounts of protein, good fats, complete protein combinations is my focus. The only natural sweetener I found to not interfere with the body is a particular brand "Sugar in the Raw"  (which you can buy bulk in a box or in packets) so the company must be doing (or not doing) something no other company seems to be doing. Of course, we all know by now that artificial sweeteners actually make the body fatter, so I am not going into that right now.

Everything in moderation was my mother's motto, and I agree. Growing up, dessert was reserved for holidays and birthdays and most were natural fruit pies. Fruit was minimal on a daily basis (too sweet for everyday). Now they say colorful berries are the best choices but other fruits might only be considered with the season they are grown (like melons in the summer, squash (yes, squash has seeds, thus a fruit!) in the fall etc.

I call Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly fat", "FLUFFY FAT" which is basically, not fat just in the belly, but includes "cellulite" type fat. 

This type of fat melts away in 2 short weeks with a Fluffy Fat diet I prescribe in my practice. There is a little more to it than just restricted eating. There are other issues that can inhibit dropping of the fluffy fat when these elements are not included along with the diet. The fat can return quickly when all these things are not involved together, actually making the person fatter than before!  Generally people lose about 10 lbs on the diet during the 2 weeks.

Many years ago, I began to develop a little belly (like a half of a small basketball) and was even asked if I was pregnant at one point. My energy had gradually become depleted and my mind was foggy. I felt weak and knew something was wrong. While standing at work one day and talking to a friend of my father's who had come in, I thought to myself, I am going to die now. I looked around, and thought at least my father's friend would be able to inform someone. I held myself in place by leaning on the counter in front of me and eventually the conversation was over, the friend left and I sat down. It took several minutes but I recovered. In a quest to discover what could be the problem, I found this diet.

I was about 5 lbs overweight when I first did the diet and still lost 10 lbs, shortly afterward, my weight stabilized to my normal weight, I felt healthy, strong, with loads of energy, my mind was clear, my muscles were defined (instead of the flabby arms I seems to always have).  I felt like I worked out everyday when actually I did not. The cellulite in my legs and buttock was completely gone (which I have had since a teenager, no matter what I tried before), my legs were completely smooth!

I generally complete this 2 week diet at least once a year (whether I have fluffy fat or not), but usually twice a year (spring and fall). In between, I try to follow this type of diet as closely as possible in my everyday life for better health overall. With this type of schedule, if I get off track, it is not a big problem for my health.

Maybe I should write a book ;)

Congrats, Dr Davis on his Wheat Belly Diet concept and reaching so many people in need of a change!

Large Bloody Patches under the Skin?

Recently I had a patient come into the office and I noticed these large bloody patches under her skin all over her arms. When I asked what they were, she said "bruises" and showed me all the "bruises" all over her legs as well. Upon further investigation I discovered that the patches started after a lapband procedure. She had been quite overweight and also had high blood pressure and was put of several blood pressure meds before the lapband.

The first thing that came across my mind was that she was internally bleeding, but why?
Some blood pressure meds thin the blood and when you are grossly overweight, your body's blood pressure is usually high, but when you lose weight, you may be able to reduce or eliminate your BP med. She never addressed this BP meds with the doctor, so I started to think that the meds were working too well???

Blood vessels are tubes and the outer sheath is permeable to some degree. When blood pressure meds thin the blood, it can more easily travel outside the vessel and apparently to the extent of creating large bloody patches under the skin that some people consider bruises. (Ah, modern medicine) Even medical doctors treat these "bruises" with topical creams. Which makes absolutely no sense to me, since it is, from my stand point, an internal problem. Some doctors treat this as rosacea but the skin is flat, not raised as in rosacea. This is most likely a capillary issue.

Phytonutrients help to rebuild the vessel walls. Phytonutrients are generally the "skins" of things (which makes sense to repair the "skin" of the blood vessel), a perfect example is the pith of an orange or grapefruit. Most people who are to the point of having these large bloody patches or "bruises" a bit beyond what food therapy might be able to address in a short time, but there are natural food-based supplements which have been shown to help (also, pith is a little hard to eat because of it's bitterness).

Since this patient, I have notice several (especially over 50 years of age) people with the same condition and because they are not patients of mine, I have no idea if they are on blood thinners, blood pressure meds or their history. I would like to know if anyone else has had a similar issue or thoughts.

Why do "Health Nuts" not look so healthy?

Are you the "Healthy" one in your group of friends or family. Do you eat all the right stuff, religiously take every supplement that is recommended by Dr. Oz, exercise, consume whole grains and beans, veggies and stay away from junk food etc? Are you almost neurotic about it?

Ok, that's me, I can't say I am always vigilant, we can all fall into the trap of the double chocolate birthday cake now and then, but in general, I work fairly hard at doing what I believe to be the right thing when it comes to what I eat without driving every waiter or companion crazy.

Salad has been my staple when in doubt on any occasion.

Some time ago, I found that I chipped my front tooth and have been on a search for resolution every since. In my journey an observation arose. Over the years I have been posed the question from those "health nuts" which is...

I do everything right, I eat right, I exercise, I don't drink or smoke, I do everything right, so why am I having this issue.

Most of them I can stereo-type in to one category... women who are almost too "thin". I see it a lot in my practice. It is easy to notice that young girls are too thin these days which seems to be the socially accepted "norm", no matter how unhealthy it is. But I am talking about women from around 30 and up. They seem to eat like birds, take a lot of nutrition supplements, exercise too much and feel they need to control every aspect of their diet and their family or friends diets. The never feel like they are relaxed and it is hard to relax around them because they seem to just make every situation stressful however hard they try not to. And they try really hard not to be or create stress, it seems they can't help themselves.

I pretty much fit that description also and have had to learn to keep my mouth shut when it comes to health in a casual conversation. I am quite passionate about health and nutrition, mostly because it is my profession, but I believe I have always been interested in the subject.

When I run across a patient that I find to be as I have described, I have often wondered: Why are they coming to see me, they are doing everything right?

I have found most of their issues are related to mineral deficiencies, which when supplemented, seems to help, but I had always believed there was some element that I was missing and recently I have pondered whether I have discovered what it is.

In my journey to find if I could "regrow" my chipped tooth, I came across a fascinating book that made me rethink certain foods that I had long since removed from my diet for one reason or another. Now, I am reintroducing them with a twist and finding some positive results.

As a kid and young adult, I was a big milk drinker. In my 20's I would consume about 1/2 gal of milk per day. I loved milk. When all my friends were eating pizza with a cola, I was eating it with milk. It seemed like the only thing that would settle my stomach (which was almost always full of "bubbles") Later, when I was informed that milk was probably the thing that was creating the problem, as hard as it was, I quit all milk products and low and behold, the problem disappeared, along with several other issues that I had since childhood.

From what I understand, milk is over-process in our society and maybe why it seems to "clog" up the body. As a child I remember the milk man delivering fresh milk to our door every morning. It would come with about an inch of cream on the top which would have to be mixed in (kind of a home homogenization process, HA).

Some people say that the molecules of cow's milk are too large to be utilized by the human body and that even calves do not take the cow's milk after they are grown. Most understand that goats milk is structured more similar to human milk than cow's milk... and generally the FDA does advise against consuming raw milk.

Either way, I did a little experiment and the results may or may not have something to do with the missing element. I began to drink raw cow's milk. Over the period of a month, I saw the tiny vertical lines around lips disappear. My eyebrows became thicker (for years, it seemed to me they were getting thinner and thinner, requiring more brow liner to fill them in). My eyelashes filled in. I had always had skimpy eyelashes, so imagine my surprise, when I looked into the mirror and decided I did not need eyeliner! My deltoid muscle became larger and defined. (It is commonly know that the deltoid muscle is the last to shrink during starvation - now think of all those skinny girls with almost nonexistent deltoid muscles!) My skin became more plump...as if I has a collagen injection. As far as the milk goes, I was only drinking about 4-6 oz a day.  I admit, I was also eating raw cheese, raw butter and some raw sour cream throughout and this may have added to the effect.

I have since been told by my medical doctor not to consume milk, stating that it is not good for me. This is kind of the standard response. She says the residual effect are not worth it but I have to say, I was loving the results when I was drinking milk....

Any thoughts?

I would like to know if anyone else has noticed anything from drinking goat's milk?

Are you the "Healthy" one in your group of friends or family. Do you eat all the right stuff, religiously take every supplement that is recommended by Dr. Oz, exercise, consume whole grains and beans, veggies and stay away from junk food etc? Are you almost neurotic about it?

Ok, that's me, I can't say I am always vigilant, we can all fall into the trap of the double chocolate birthday cake now and then, but in general, I work fairly hard at doing what I believe to be the right thing when it comes to what I eat without driving every waiter or companion crazy.

Salad has been my staple when in doubt on any occasion.

Some time ago, I found that I chipped my front tooth and have been on a search for resolution every since. In my journey an observation arose. Over the years I have been posed the question from those "health nuts" which is...

I do everything right, I eat right, I exercise, I don't drink or smoke, I do everything right, so why am I having this issue.

Most of them I can stereo-type in to one category... women who are almost too "thin". I see it a lot in my practice. It is easy to notice that young girls are too thin these days which seems to be the socially accepted "norm", no matter how unhealthy it is. But I am talking about women from around 30 and up. They seem to eat like birds, take a lot of nutrition supplements, exercise too much and feel they need to control every aspect of their diet and their family or friends diets. The never feel like they are relaxed and it is hard to relax around them because they seem to just make every situation stressful however hard they try not to. And they try really hard not to be or create stress, it seems they can't help themselves.

I pretty much fit that description also and have had to learn to keep my mouth shut when it comes to health in a casual conversation. I am quite passionate about health and nutrition, mostly because it is my profession, but I believe I have always been interested in the subject.

When I run across a patient that I find to be as I have described, I have often wondered: Why are they coming to see me, they are doing everything right?

I have found most of their issues are related to mineral deficiencies, which when supplemented, seems to help, but I had always believed there was some element that I was missing and recently I have pondered whether I have discovered what it is.

In my journey to find if I could "regrow" my chipped tooth, I came across a fascinating book that made me rethink certain foods that I had long since removed from my diet for one reason or another. Now, I am reintroducing them with a twist and finding some positive results.

As a kid and young adult, I was a big milk drinker. In my 20's I would consume about 1/2 gal of milk per day. I loved milk. When all my friends were eating pizza with a cola, I was eating it with milk. It seemed like the only thing that would settle my stomach (which was almost always full of "bubbles") Later, when I was informed that milk was probably the thing that was creating the problem, as hard as it was, I quit all milk products and low and behold, the problem disappeared, along with several other issues that I had since childhood.

From what I understand, milk is over-process in our society and maybe why it seems to "clog" up the body. As a child I remember the milk man delivering fresh milk to our door every morning. It would come with about an inch of cream on the top which would have to be mixed in (kind of a home homogenization process, HA).

Some people say that the molecules of cow's milk are too large to be utilized by the human body and that even calves do not take the cow's milk after they are grown. Most understand that goats milk is structured more similar to human milk than cow's milk... and generally the FDA does advise against consuming raw milk.

Either way, I did a little experiment and the results may or may not have something to do with the missing element. I began to drink raw cow's milk. Over the period of a month, I saw the tiny vertical lines around lips disappear. My eyebrows became thicker (for years, it seemed to me they were getting thinner and thinner, requiring more brow liner to fill them in). My eyelashes filled in. I had always had skimpy eyelashes, so imagine my surprise, when I looked into the mirror and decided I did not need eyeliner! My deltoid muscle became larger and defined. (It is commonly know that the deltoid muscle is the last to shrink during starvation - now think of all those skinny girls with almost nonexistent deltoid muscles!) My skin became more plump...as if I has a collagen injection. As far as the milk goes, I was only drinking about 4-6 oz a day.  I admit, I was also eating raw cheese, raw butter and some raw sour cream throughout and this may have added to the effect.

I have since been told by my medical doctor not to consume milk, stating that it is not good for me. This is kind of the standard response. She says the residual effect are not worth it but I have to say, I was loving the results when I was drinking milk....

Any thoughts?

I would like to know if anyone else has noticed anything from drinking goat's milk?

Does the Pain in your Legs relate to your head?

The body is designed to maintain balance at all cost. So when you see someone limping or favoring  one leg, it is logical that the other leg is doing something that it would not be doing if they were walking normally. The body kind of torques and twists to accommodate the leg, so one shoulder will generally drop lower than the other and probably be rotated a little more forward, etc.. What do you think happens to the neck? And is the neck attached to the head? Sure! So lets look at the backwards.

It is know that there are 22 bones in the head and they are connected by sutures of a sort. These suture areas allow the 22 cranial bones to flex, ever so slightly to allow for the pulse of the brain. Just think of when a baby goes through the birthing canal. In the past, it was believed that those flexible bones would fuse together and then never move again. Now we know they still move, just minimally. However, they can become stuck or unable to move for many reasons. Some believe the movement of the cranial bones through the birthing canal is a necessary trip to kick start the pulse of the brain, otherwise, they become stuck and lead to asthma, illness etc. The common use of forceps and suction during birth might also be restricting the pulse from starting.

Once the bones are immovable, all types of things become restricted in the body. Why? Because the Dura Mater connects nearly everything from the brain, through the spinal nerves and this material eventually connects to the fascia (which covers every muscle fiber and group of fibers in the body). If the bones are restricted, the Dura Mater is not able to work properly, eventually the body has to compensate so it twists itself up over the years. Eventually, one day you look in the mirror and one hip is higher than the other. One shoulder is higher than the other, your head is slightly tilted and cocked to one side. One leg is shorter than the other, etc. But all you notice is this slight limb that seems to be getting worse even though you have never had an injury and your shoes wear out differently on one side. Of course an injury could also affect the cranial bones.

So here we are with these immovable cranial bones....what to do, what to do...  There are techniques now which address just that, and take only minutes to do. I call them "cranial techniques" :)

Cranial Techniques loosen the cranial bones to allow movement again and the results I am getting are FASCINATING!  25 year ringing-in-the-ears is gone after one treatment. Pain is gone, vision starts to clear, improved mental clarity, neck pain gone, shoulder pain gone, numbness in the arm gone. Most patients say they feel they can finally take a deep breath without struggling or stand up without back pain. What I notice is that most people have one eye lower than the other or slightly more closed. After the treatment they are the same level and size!

I learned this technique several years ago, but only recently began to use it again. There are so many advantages. Nearly everyone has some type of structural holding pattern and can benefit. So if you are not near my offices in Fort Lauderdale, FL or Kelleys Island, OH, try to find someone in your area and give it a try. I recently worked on a 50 year old, that has practiced yoga for years and even she exclaimed it helped her.

Look 10 years Younger - Acupuncture Facials diminish wrinkles without pain

Are those little lines and wrinkles creeping up on you?
Do you have an aversion to surgery or just don't like the unnatural look of face lift/plastic surgery?

I remember the first time that I recognized the manner in which Acupuncture Facials could affect someone. During "clinic rounds" while I was studying Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, I worked on a patient who signed up for 10 sessions of Facial Acupuncture, however, I only worked with her the first visit.

About 7 weeks later, I saw a vaguely familiar woman walking down the clinic hallway and asked one of the other students who she was.

The student told me that woman was the patient who was receiving the Acupuncture Facial series.

I was shocked!

She looked 10 years younger to me. (If I recall correctly, she was appx 45-47, but definitely looked in her mid 30's) The other students working with her said they thought it was improving her appearance but it seemed more gradual to them, since they had seen her and worked with her every week. I had only seen her the first visit. I believed she also looked "healthier" and definitely had a "glow" that she did not have at the start of the treatment. Acupuncture not only affects the superficial aspect of the lines and wrinkles, it also treats the underlying health issue that contribute to aging skin which no surgery can affect. So you feel better, look better and are healthier in the long run.

She came one time a week for 10 weeks total which is the recommended treatment course.

Since then, I have performed these Anti-Aging Acupuncture Facials in my practice but have always wondered why anyone would have facial surgery, when this non-surgical, natural face-lift was available.

The biggest hurdle that Acupuncture faces is that people generally cannot believe that it is not painful. I can only explain it like this:

Acupuncture needles are so tiny, similar to the size of a cat's whisker. The shape and design of the "filaform" needle allow it to slip between skin fibers rather than tear a hole in the nerve rich upper layers of the skin like a hypodermic syringe (which we are more accustomed to in the medical field). Generally, you do not even feel a pinch with Acupuncture needles.

Acupuncture filaform needles are inserted using a tube that is slightly shorter than the needle. The needle is then popped quickly, rather than forced/pushed as with a syringe. Because the skin's nerve endings are located in the top layer of the skin, and the Acupuncture needle quickly bypasses this area, thanks to the the tube, the patient only feels the pressure of the tube, which also distracts the nerve endings. Most patients feel NO needle insertion.

I usually demonstrate needle insertion on myself for apprehensive patients, which ellicits no reaction at all from myself. This usually eliminates most fears but I also offer a topical anesthesia/numbing cream which is helpful with patients receiving facial work.

Acupuncture anti-aging facelifts are approx. 1/10th + the cost of plastic surgery (it's like getting a 90% discount without the bruises and recovery!) Usually no one knows you are having "work done", because the results are gradual, over a 10 week time period. However many patient mention that their friends ask if are doing something different. Many patients simply tell friends they are getting Acupuncture for stress, which is completely accurate! (It is highly recognized for reducing stress and affecting all types of pain also).

If you want a great alternative to plastic surgery face lifts, I feel that Anti-Aging Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation far-exceeds in all respects.

Patricia J Ahner, AP, LAc, LMT
www.healingx.org
www.contact@get-relief.com